Censor board is deaf, says Vishal Bhardwaj

Vishal Bhardwaj on Saturday said that the censor board gives a "deaf" ear to the concerns of the filmmakers.

The writer-director, who has faced troubles with the Central Board of Film Certification in the past, said films are a "soft target" for anything and everything that goes wrong with the society.

When asked for his reaction on the possibility of censorship creeping into the digital medium, Bhardwaj said, "Did they listen to us when the put the 'no smoking' ticker on a running visual? Do they hear us even now? They (censor board) are deaf. They do whatever they want to do. We are the only nation in this world that has 'no smoking' on a running visual. How more ridiculous can it be?"

"The kind of things you can do in a series and there's no censorship. That Animal Welfare Board, my God, it's a pain in the neck, if I can't say a**. And the kind of things they impose on you. Films are such a soft target. If anything is happening to someone, (target) the film. As if films are responsible for every evil that exists in the society," he added.

He was speaking at NDFC's Film Bazaar Knowledge Series session "Storytellers First - Directors and Producers who Changed the Game".

Bhardwaj said he would love to create a project for the digital medium "as soon as possible". He added that he is looking for material which could be presented in a web series format.

"It is such a creative freedom for a director. I love cinema... But these series offer really something unique... In films, at the editing level, we have to let go of many nuances... The small characters you don't concentrate on... Series gives you that liberty and freedom," he added. -- PTI